This chapter examines Abu Dhabi’s responses to climate change and environmental sustainability through case studies of major alternative energy and sustainability initiatives, including the Masdar ...
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This chapter examines Abu Dhabi’s responses to climate change and environmental sustainability through case studies of major alternative energy and sustainability initiatives, including the Masdar initiative and Abu Dhabi’s nuclear energy programme. It also includes a detailed examination of Abu Dhabi’s climate change-related resource scarcities and vulnerabilities. Together with chapter 4, this chapter explores how the multiple natural resource-related pressures have affected Abu Dhabi, and how the government is responding to them. The chapter examines the drivers and motives of change and divergence in Abu Dhabi’s responses to the challenges of energy insecurity, climate change and environmental unsustainability.Less

Abu Dhabi’s Climate Change and Sustainability Responses

Mari Luomi

Published in print: 2014-10-15

This chapter examines Abu Dhabi’s responses to climate change and environmental sustainability through case studies of major alternative energy and sustainability initiatives, including the Masdar initiative and Abu Dhabi’s nuclear energy programme. It also includes a detailed examination of Abu Dhabi’s climate change-related resource scarcities and vulnerabilities. Together with chapter 4, this chapter explores how the multiple natural resource-related pressures have affected Abu Dhabi, and how the government is responding to them. The chapter examines the drivers and motives of change and divergence in Abu Dhabi’s responses to the challenges of energy insecurity, climate change and environmental unsustainability.

Accelerating energy innovation could be an important part of an effective response to the threat of climate change. This book complements existing research on the subject with an exploration of the ...
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Accelerating energy innovation could be an important part of an effective response to the threat of climate change. This book complements existing research on the subject with an exploration of the role that public and private policy have played in enabling—and sustaining—swift innovation in a variety of industries, from agriculture and the life sciences to information technology. Chapters highlight the factors that have determined the impact of past policies, and suggest that effectively managed federal funding, strategies to increase customer demand, and the enabling of aggressive competition from new firms are important ingredients for policies that affect innovative activity.Less

Accelerating Energy Innovation : Insights from Multiple Sectors

Published in print: 2011-05-30

Accelerating energy innovation could be an important part of an effective response to the threat of climate change. This book complements existing research on the subject with an exploration of the role that public and private policy have played in enabling—and sustaining—swift innovation in a variety of industries, from agriculture and the life sciences to information technology. Chapters highlight the factors that have determined the impact of past policies, and suggest that effectively managed federal funding, strategies to increase customer demand, and the enabling of aggressive competition from new firms are important ingredients for policies that affect innovative activity.

Rates of warming during recent decades have exceeded those experienced during the previous millennia. This anthropogenic climate change has led to advances in organismal phenology, shifts in ...
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Rates of warming during recent decades have exceeded those experienced during the previous millennia. This anthropogenic climate change has led to advances in organismal phenology, shifts in geographic ranges, and disruptions of ecological interactions. A growing body of evidence underscores the need to consider evolutionary responses to global warming. Both the physiological regulation of phenology and the thermal sensitivity of performance have evolved in warming environments. Nevertheless, quantitative genetic and allelic models suggest that rapid warming will lead to persistent maladaptation and certain extinction. The degree of maladaptation during warming depends on numerous factors, including the stochasticity of temperature, the size of the population, the additive genetic variance, the rate of gene flow, and the interactions between species. Further development of these models could lead to an applied theory of thermal adaptation that more accurately predicts the biological impacts of global warming.Less

Adaptation to Anthropogenic Climate Change

Michael J. Angilletta

Published in print: 2009-01-29

Rates of warming during recent decades have exceeded those experienced during the previous millennia. This anthropogenic climate change has led to advances in organismal phenology, shifts in geographic ranges, and disruptions of ecological interactions. A growing body of evidence underscores the need to consider evolutionary responses to global warming. Both the physiological regulation of phenology and the thermal sensitivity of performance have evolved in warming environments. Nevertheless, quantitative genetic and allelic models suggest that rapid warming will lead to persistent maladaptation and certain extinction. The degree of maladaptation during warming depends on numerous factors, including the stochasticity of temperature, the size of the population, the additive genetic variance, the rate of gene flow, and the interactions between species. Further development of these models could lead to an applied theory of thermal adaptation that more accurately predicts the biological impacts of global warming.

Climate change adaptation involves major global and societal challenges such as finding adequate and equitable adaptation funding and integrating adaptation and development programs. Current funding ...
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Climate change adaptation involves major global and societal challenges such as finding adequate and equitable adaptation funding and integrating adaptation and development programs. Current funding is insufficient. Debates between the Global North and South center on how best to allocate the financial burdens associated with adaptation programs. How to “mainstream” adaptation into development programs is another topic for debate, as is the question of whether market-based approaches offer the right tools for both development and adaptation. Sociological insights on topics such as the political economy of development, disaster risk reduction, human migration in the face of environmental change, institutions, social movements, and public participation in environmental governance are applicable to the study of adaptation.Less

Adaptation to Climate Change

Published in print: 2015-10-01

Climate change adaptation involves major global and societal challenges such as finding adequate and equitable adaptation funding and integrating adaptation and development programs. Current funding is insufficient. Debates between the Global North and South center on how best to allocate the financial burdens associated with adaptation programs. How to “mainstream” adaptation into development programs is another topic for debate, as is the question of whether market-based approaches offer the right tools for both development and adaptation. Sociological insights on topics such as the political economy of development, disaster risk reduction, human migration in the face of environmental change, institutions, social movements, and public participation in environmental governance are applicable to the study of adaptation.

Societies must choose how they wish to deal with climate change. Not doing anything or pursuing ‘business as usual’ is likely to lead down a path that will have devastating consequences for many ...
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Societies must choose how they wish to deal with climate change. Not doing anything or pursuing ‘business as usual’ is likely to lead down a path that will have devastating consequences for many people, especially the world’s poor. Using a focal lens of coral reef fisheries, upon which millions of people depend on for their livelihood, this book provides a tool box of options for confronting the consequences of climate change through building local-scale adaptive capacity in societies and improving the condition of the natural resources. Building adaptive capacity will require strengthening appropriate aspects of a society’s flexibility, assets, learning and social organizations. They ways of doing this are diverse and will, of course, depend on existing local capacities and needs. Improving the condition of resources tends to require restricting or limiting society’s actions. These two broad concepts, of building social capacities and limiting certain types of resource use, interact in complicated ways, requiring coupled actions. One of the central themes of this book is that adaptation solutions are context dependent, determined in part by aspects of local resource conditions, adaptive capacity, and exposure to climate change impacts, but also by people’s history, culture, and aspirations. This book develops a framework to help provide governments, scientists, managers, and donors with critical information about the local context and develop nuanced actions that reflect these local conditions. This information can help to identify key opportunities and narrow the range of potential adaptation options that may be suitable for a particular location.Less

Adapting to a Changing Environment : Confronting the Consequences of Climate Change

Tim R. McClanahanJoshua Cinner

Published in print: 2011-11-28

Societies must choose how they wish to deal with climate change. Not doing anything or pursuing ‘business as usual’ is likely to lead down a path that will have devastating consequences for many people, especially the world’s poor. Using a focal lens of coral reef fisheries, upon which millions of people depend on for their livelihood, this book provides a tool box of options for confronting the consequences of climate change through building local-scale adaptive capacity in societies and improving the condition of the natural resources. Building adaptive capacity will require strengthening appropriate aspects of a society’s flexibility, assets, learning and social organizations. They ways of doing this are diverse and will, of course, depend on existing local capacities and needs. Improving the condition of resources tends to require restricting or limiting society’s actions. These two broad concepts, of building social capacities and limiting certain types of resource use, interact in complicated ways, requiring coupled actions. One of the central themes of this book is that adaptation solutions are context dependent, determined in part by aspects of local resource conditions, adaptive capacity, and exposure to climate change impacts, but also by people’s history, culture, and aspirations. This book develops a framework to help provide governments, scientists, managers, and donors with critical information about the local context and develop nuanced actions that reflect these local conditions. This information can help to identify key opportunities and narrow the range of potential adaptation options that may be suitable for a particular location.

Aquatic ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change due to the high heat capacity of water, the probability of altered thermal regimes, and changes to coupled thermal-hydrological ...
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Aquatic ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change due to the high heat capacity of water, the probability of altered thermal regimes, and changes to coupled thermal-hydrological variability. This chapter draws together the strategies, options, and processes available to protect and restore vulnerable aquatic ecosystems and threatened species. Options include freshwater protected area management; restoring flow regimes; improved dam operations and floodplain management; coherent approaches to legislation, policy, and governance to support environmental flow management; and greater indigenous engagement and learning. A vigorous global river and catchment restoration effort is needed to help restore and protect ecosystems and species threatened by climatic and human stressors. Much can be achieved if humans can learn to live with and celebrate variability, diversity, and change.Less

Adapting to Climate Change

Angela H. Arthington

Published in print: 2012-10-15

Aquatic ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change due to the high heat capacity of water, the probability of altered thermal regimes, and changes to coupled thermal-hydrological variability. This chapter draws together the strategies, options, and processes available to protect and restore vulnerable aquatic ecosystems and threatened species. Options include freshwater protected area management; restoring flow regimes; improved dam operations and floodplain management; coherent approaches to legislation, policy, and governance to support environmental flow management; and greater indigenous engagement and learning. A vigorous global river and catchment restoration effort is needed to help restore and protect ecosystems and species threatened by climatic and human stressors. Much can be achieved if humans can learn to live with and celebrate variability, diversity, and change.

Long-term changes in the world such as demographic trends, climate change, and disruptive innovation create permanent shifts in patterns of supply or demand. Chapter 12 explores the nature and ...
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Long-term changes in the world such as demographic trends, climate change, and disruptive innovation create permanent shifts in patterns of supply or demand. Chapter 12 explores the nature and effects of these kinds of disruptions, which create a “new normal” rather than a short-term shock that quickly reverts to the old normal. The chapter suggests methods for attending to and even benefiting from these long-term changes.Less

Adapting to Long-Term Change

Yossi Sheffi

Published in print: 2015-10-23

Long-term changes in the world such as demographic trends, climate change, and disruptive innovation create permanent shifts in patterns of supply or demand. Chapter 12 explores the nature and effects of these kinds of disruptions, which create a “new normal” rather than a short-term shock that quickly reverts to the old normal. The chapter suggests methods for attending to and even benefiting from these long-term changes.

This chapter evaluates the possibilities of local resistance to discourses of globalization and the free trade principle associated with it. Local resistance is a symbol of plurality that creates ...
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This chapter evaluates the possibilities of local resistance to discourses of globalization and the free trade principle associated with it. Local resistance is a symbol of plurality that creates possibilities of co-option and subsequently makes it possible for diversity to thrive in a globalized world seeking to standardize issues. The role of information and communication technology in promoting traditional knowledge and compensating them with non-intellectual property rights draws its inspiration from the second enclosure movement. This chapter argues that diversity and local identities can help prevent global standardization and instrumentalism. The global environmental processes commencing from the Stockholm Summit of 1972, the Rio Summit of 1992, and the Rio and non-Rio conventions of climate change, biodiversity, ozone depletion, the Basel Convention, and the POPS (Persistent Organic Pollutants) Convention offer many lessons on how to manage global goods.Less

Adapting to or Fighting Globalization

A. Damodaran

Published in print: 2010-08-05

This chapter evaluates the possibilities of local resistance to discourses of globalization and the free trade principle associated with it. Local resistance is a symbol of plurality that creates possibilities of co-option and subsequently makes it possible for diversity to thrive in a globalized world seeking to standardize issues. The role of information and communication technology in promoting traditional knowledge and compensating them with non-intellectual property rights draws its inspiration from the second enclosure movement. This chapter argues that diversity and local identities can help prevent global standardization and instrumentalism. The global environmental processes commencing from the Stockholm Summit of 1972, the Rio Summit of 1992, and the Rio and non-Rio conventions of climate change, biodiversity, ozone depletion, the Basel Convention, and the POPS (Persistent Organic Pollutants) Convention offer many lessons on how to manage global goods.

This chapter focuses on adaptiveness as a dimension of effective earth system governance, with particular emphasis on the requirements of global adaptation governance. It considers core dilemmas such ...
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This chapter focuses on adaptiveness as a dimension of effective earth system governance, with particular emphasis on the requirements of global adaptation governance. It considers core dilemmas such as adaptability versus stability, effectiveness versus legitimacy, and effectiveness versus fairness in global governance arrangements. The focus is on drastic earth system transformations, especially global warming that exceeds 2 degrees Celsius compared to preindustrial levels. As one example of global adaptation governance, the chapter looks at the governance of climate-related migration wherein large numbers of people might be forced to leave their homes in the second half of the century due to climate change. It then proposes a system of global governance that could cope with substantially increased numbers of climate migrants due to earth system disruptions, including sea level rise and more frequent or more severe droughts and extreme weather events.Less

Adaptiveness

Frank Biermann

Published in print: 2014-12-12

This chapter focuses on adaptiveness as a dimension of effective earth system governance, with particular emphasis on the requirements of global adaptation governance. It considers core dilemmas such as adaptability versus stability, effectiveness versus legitimacy, and effectiveness versus fairness in global governance arrangements. The focus is on drastic earth system transformations, especially global warming that exceeds 2 degrees Celsius compared to preindustrial levels. As one example of global adaptation governance, the chapter looks at the governance of climate-related migration wherein large numbers of people might be forced to leave their homes in the second half of the century due to climate change. It then proposes a system of global governance that could cope with substantially increased numbers of climate migrants due to earth system disruptions, including sea level rise and more frequent or more severe droughts and extreme weather events.

Climate change is so complicated, involving so many different disciplines and viewpoints that a model can only address one or two facets of the problem. This chapter focuses on the economic ...
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Climate change is so complicated, involving so many different disciplines and viewpoints that a model can only address one or two facets of the problem. This chapter focuses on the economic implications of unusually large structural uncertainties surrounding climate change extremes and why aggressive emissions mitigation policies might be justified. Additive damages are appropriate for analyzing the economic impact of global warming in light of highly uncertain feedback mechanisms between green-house gases (GHG) accumulations and temperatures with possibly catastrophic results. With uncertain rates of time preference and discount rates approaching zero, these climate-change damage and uncertain response mechanisms lead to very large expected present disutility. The social willingness to pay to avoid potential catastrophically high temperatures in the future could be infinite, whereby society sacrifices all current consumption to prevent future warming.Less

Martin L. Weitzman

Published in print: 2011-06-01

Climate change is so complicated, involving so many different disciplines and viewpoints that a model can only address one or two facets of the problem. This chapter focuses on the economic implications of unusually large structural uncertainties surrounding climate change extremes and why aggressive emissions mitigation policies might be justified. Additive damages are appropriate for analyzing the economic impact of global warming in light of highly uncertain feedback mechanisms between green-house gases (GHG) accumulations and temperatures with possibly catastrophic results. With uncertain rates of time preference and discount rates approaching zero, these climate-change damage and uncertain response mechanisms lead to very large expected present disutility. The social willingness to pay to avoid potential catastrophically high temperatures in the future could be infinite, whereby society sacrifices all current consumption to prevent future warming.